Altaf Hussain, a British national, gets live coverage from all private television channels, delivering a speech in which he threatens to carve out a new state, if his demands are not met and yet PEMRA finds nothing wrong with this. Does this qualify as freedom of speech guaranteed by constitution?. I am afraid the Constitution of Pakistan does allow such an abuse.
Pakistan is a constitutional democracy, in which Constitution is supreme and all political parties, state organs, public office holders and institutions have to conform accordingly within defined corridors. No citizen of Pakistan, or institution has right to violate constitution and if he does, is guilty of violating it. The Constitution is what Supreme Court interprets it to be, not what any politician, or general thinks it is. Either we submit to Rule of Law and Constitution, or else there will be chaos, anarchy and lawlessness in this country. What we are witnessing today is consequence of numerous violations, suspensions, or holding in abeyance of constitution by self-assumed guardians of state and unfortunate reality that they have got away with such acts of treason. It is time to put a stop to this nonsense. We owe it to thousands of our valiant soldiers, who laid down their lives and millions who were killed in 1947, so that Quaid’s Pakistan survives as modern democratic welfare state.
MALIK TARIQ ALI
Lahore
